Posts on Aidan & Eliana

Eliana lost her first tooth!

Sat, 30 Jan 2021 14:40:00 -0500

Eliana has had a couple of wiggly teeth for a while now, and this morning she and Mommy decided the wigglier of the two was ready to come out. Eliana was a little excited, and a little sad (because “I’ll miss my little tooth”), but was quickly sharing the news with her virtual dance class mates. Like Aidan, she also asked the tooth fairy to let her keep her tooth!

Beautiful Fall sunset

Sat, 17 Oct 2020 18:00:00 -0400

We went for a walk with Cheryl and decided to get a coffee and wait for the sunset at Riverdale Park East. Eliana had a lot of fun running around and making up stories about races and excersise competitions with imaginary friends.

Thanksgiving 2020

Sun, 11 Oct 2020 17:43:00 -0400

We couldn't get together with extended family for Thanksgiving but decided to make it an ocasion regardless. We had fun preparing and eating together. Aidan was thankful for his new XBOX gaming console, friends, family and our new kitties. Eliana was thankful for LEGO, painting, her lunch box and the brownie with smarties. Puck & Othello were thankful for the special turkey dinner Daddy prepared for them.

LEGO fever

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 11:41:00 -0400

We combined all the LEGO sets we have and Eliana now spends hours building all kinds of imaginative structures for the characters to interact with (a "boat floater", a "spa bath for relaxing", and a "treasure room" are some examples). She's super creative, but leaves behind a bit of a mess!

First Day of JK

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 08:20:00 -0400

Today was Eliana's first day of school in JK. Her room is #133 and her teachers are Ms. Derrick (picture in yellow dress) and Ms. Susie. We have known them both since Aidan started at Dundas in 2014 and we are very happy that they are her teachers.

Eliana was a little nervous but when it was time to leave, she did confident and happy. Eliana is a year older than Aidan when he started JK, she is very familiar with the school because of Aidan and because we live so close; and she started camp with the after school program since September 8 in that same classroom!

Aidan's First day at Grade 5

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 08:20:00 -0400

Today was Aidan's first day back to school. I very unusual one but still very happy. This is Aidan's last year at Dundas Public PS. He was confident and very happy to see his friends. He's in room 111, a 4/5 split, with Ms. Kemp and with several of his best friends and all familiar faces: Lily, Ella, McKenzie...

Still got it!

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 16:35:00 -0400

Aidan wasn't able to play baseball with his league this season amid COVID-19, except for a few informal games at the school yard. It seems he can still hit!

Welcome Puck & Othello

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0400

We've been talking for a while about getting a pet and after much deliberation decided that we wanted a cat. Mommy wanted kitties and they recommend to get bonded pairs so we ended up adopting brothers Puck & Othello. Aidan and Eliana are over the moon and the parents are super happy to grow our family with these cute and super sweet kitties.

Ping pong super star

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 09:49:29 -0400

Aidan is like Daddy, he can pick up any sport so easily. Mommy took him to Virgin Mobile office for a last visit before switching jobs and after just a brief class from a friend he was a ping pong super star!

Telling stories

Wed, 15 May 2019 12:15:12 -0400

Punta Cana 2019

Sat, 20 Apr 2019 10:00:28 -0400

This year Aidan and Eliana went back to Punta Cana. We spent a week with Abuelita and some of Mommy's best and beloved friends. We all had a blast. A week full of swimming, great food and drinks, music and friendship!

When mornings go well

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 08:00:23 -0400

Once in a while mornings go well and the kids share breakfast and playing time very nicely. I'm sure Daddy and mommy are going to miss the time around the kitchen counter when they grow older.

Let it go

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 09:29:30 -0500

Eliana has gotten into Frozen recently and we've been listening to the soundtrack a lot.

Let it snow!

Wed, 30 Jan 2019 10:26:43 -0500

We had a huge dump of snow on Monday/Tuesday (over 20cm). The kids did their part to help clean up in the morning.

First time skiing

Sun, 20 Jan 2019 12:05:41 -0500

Some friends organized a big group outing to a nearby ski hill on Friday and Aidan got to hit the slopes for the first time. There were activities scheduled for the morning and ski lessons and free skiing in the afternoon. He and his friends had a great time!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Eliana!

Sun, 06 Jan 2019 15:08:46 -0500

Eliana had her first official organized birthday party with friends this year. We packed a lot of people into our place (including Grandma, visiting from Edmonton and Tim the Music Man, who provided the entertainment). The kids had a blast!

Happy 8th birthday Aidan!

Sat, 15 Dec 2018 15:01:49 -0500

Aidan celebrated his 8th birthday with his friends at LaserQuest, an indoor laser-tag centre. The kids had a lot of fun!

Boo!

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 14:54:18 -0400

A little late on publishing this one...Aidan made life easier on us by deciding he wanted to wear the same costume as last year. Eliana was very excited about her pumpkin costume!

Special handshake

Thu, 13 Sep 2018 11:26:43 -0400

Aidan developed a special handshake for him and Eliana. This is the best video I could get so far. It's too cute!!

Plantain!

Thu, 13 Sep 2018 11:25:02 -0400

Eliana loves plantain and watermelon just like Mommy.

Kitty

Thu, 13 Sep 2018 11:22:19 -0400

The baby grew

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 11:42:05 -0400

This towel was a gift from aunt Susan and Aidan still uses it but as you can see it just shows how much he's grown!

Shirt hats

Fri, 10 Aug 2018 23:24:31 -0400

Eliana has been practicing taking off her shirts by herself recently, and there's always a point at which the shirt gets stuck on her head. This is typically followed by a request to take her picture. Presented here, a gallery of silly shirt hats!

Keeping cool

Fri, 10 Aug 2018 23:24:00 -0400

It's been pretty hot here for much of the summer, so staying cool has been an important task.

Graduation to Preschool

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 12:02:12 -0400

July 31st was Eliana's last day in the toddler room. Now she will be in preschool room until she goes to Kindergarten in September 2020. Looking at the pictures and videos it's crazy how much our little girl has grown in just a year.

Fotos y videos de la guardería / Pictures and videos from daycare: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3su74ne58h93elc/AADODAOh_I9ya8qpXhK3ldjCa?dl=0

Catching up

Sat, 21 Jul 2018 00:10:18 -0400

High Park

Sat, 07 Jul 2018 23:42:14 -0400

When Abuelita came to visit, the whole family took a trip to High Park. We visited the animals in the little zoo, had ice cream, played in the park and rode the train.

Daddy and Aidan go to Wonderland

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 23:31:27 -0400

Aidan and I took a trip to Canada's Wonderland during the first week of his summer vacation. He's just tall enough now to ride on many of the more adventurous rides, many of which he decided to try (including a double-loop roller coaster!). If you ask Aidan, the thing he's most proud of that day is eating almost an entire footling sub for dinner!

Racoon story

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 14:00:39 -0400

The back story is that we saw a family of a mommy raccoon and five baby raccoons in our neighbour's backyard. However two is a more fun number to do with little fingers.

Selfies

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 23:27:33 -0400

Mother's Day Presents

Sun, 13 May 2018 23:25:24 -0400

This past Mother's Day, Aidan and Eliana gave Mommy some super sweet presents that I'd like to document on the blog. Ms. Truong, Aidan's Grade 1 and 2 teacher, told me that Aidan worked very hard on making his ceramic plate. If you look closely, it has a couple of messages in Spanish. Below is a translation of his letter.

Translation:

Dear Mom, Thank you for helping me fall asleep. I like it when we ride our bikes to places like school. Thank you for giving me an allowance every weekend. I like that you always say yes when I negotiate. You are my #1 Mom. I hope you have a fantastic Mother's Day! I love you!! Love, Aidan

Family vacation in Punta Cana

Thu, 03 May 2018 14:20:20 -0400

End of April, Eliana's first trip in a plane was to Punta Cana on a family trip with our friends and neighbours: Kyle (Aidan's school friend), Rachel (sister), Scott (dad) and Kelly (mom). We all had a blast. Highlights: our friends company, Caribbean Sea view, the pool, chocolate ice cream every day and the zip line!

Cross Country Meet

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 10:12:28 -0400

Aidan joined the cross country team at school again this year, and a few weeks back was the big meet. Aidan’s age group ran a 1 Km route over sand, trail and boardwalk.

First ice cream cone

Thu, 06 Jul 2017 10:18:07 -0400

This one's been sitting in the draft folder for a while. Earlier in the summer we took Eliana to Ed's Real Scoop to experience her first ice cream cone. To her credit, most of the ice cream ended up in her mouth, but the stroller did need to be washed!

Stacking cups

Tue, 23 May 2017 22:10:10 -0400

Eliana is a big fan of repetition. This was probably the fifth time she ran through this sequence. Don't mind the soundtrack - there was a baseball game being played in the living room at the same time! Material for another post :)

Uh oh

Tue, 23 May 2017 21:27:42 -0400

First baseball game

Mon, 15 May 2017 18:38:33 -0400

We signed Aidan up for a real baseball league this year, and after a number of indoor skills practices he had his first exhibition game recently. He's on the same team as a couple of his friends from school, and the kids all had a blast! Eliana came along to watch, though was less interested in the game than she was is running around all over the place.

Going for a walk

Sat, 13 May 2017 11:42:02 -0400

One video in what could have been a series of eight identical ones. The problem comes when she gets to the traffic lights at the end of our street and doesn't want to stop!

Artist baby

Sun, 26 Mar 2017 07:40:59 -0400

Eliana has been creating many art pieces at daycare so she finally could appreciate this Christmas gift that she wasn't understanding too well before. The best part is her admiration of her own work! Wow!

Practicing her words

Sat, 18 Mar 2017 12:58:21 -0400

Happy first birthday Eliana!

Fri, 06 Jan 2017 22:15:17 -0500

Eliana turned one and we can't believe how fast time flew. She didn't want anything to do with the cake but she really enjoyed the birthday music!

Skating

Wed, 04 Jan 2017 21:44:50 -0500

We signed Aidan up for ice-skating lessons in the fall, and the results have been impressive!

Loading the dishwasher

Wed, 04 Jan 2017 21:42:41 -0500

Eliana is very interested in the dishwasher, and always rushes right over when she sees it's open. It seems she just wants to help!

Homework

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 21:29:35 -0500

Now that Aidan is in Grade 1, he's been getting homework sent home regularly. Usually it's a quick exercise, practicing some spelling words or doing some reading. He's pretty keen on getting it done, and always wants to be sure he does a good job!

Climbing the Stairs

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 21:36:22 -0500

Eliana has been practicing her stair climbing lately, and is getting pretty good at it!

The Big Race

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 15:00:17 -0400

Aidan participated in a cross-country meet on October 5th. A number of schools gathered at Ashbridges Bay (in the Beaches area of the city, on the lake) to run the race. Aidan's age group ran a 1Km route, and he finished 15th!

First visit from the tooth fairy!

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 14:56:50 -0400

Aidan has been working on this loose tooth for weeks and last night he was complaining he wanted it out so Mommy made yet again another attempt to pull it out and this time it worked!! He was SO excited and happy thinking about sharing the news with his friends and teacher at school. Mommy and Daddy are happy they don't have to see the wiggly tooth anymore! :P

Cross-Country Runner

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 22:52:32 -0400

Aidan decided to join the cross-country team at school, helping his class earn popsicle sticks (based on how far they run). The class with the most popsicle sticks at the end of each week wins the "Golden Shoe" award. His class won the first week! If you look carefully, you'll see Aidan in the middle of the pack: he's wearing a dark grey shirt and aqua shorts.

Perseverance

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 22:42:05 -0400

Mountain Climber

Fri, 30 Sep 2016 12:05:28 -0400

We stopped by McCleary Park the other day specifically so Aidan could show us how he could climb the big rock. What we didn't know is that he had a slightly different approach to getting back down!

Blueberries!

Sun, 25 Sep 2016 22:13:02 -0400

A little side-by-side comparison of siblings' blueberry-eating prowess. Aidan at 11 months and Eliana at 8 months.

Failed magic trick

Mon, 12 Sep 2016 10:00:33 -0400

Mental note for Mommy: do not leave the placemat with Eliana's food were she can reach it. Especially if it's yougurt with home made strawberry topping!

Ice skating - Day 1

Mon, 12 Sep 2016 09:53:49 -0400

Yesterday Aidan started ice skating classes. He spent a lot of the time on the floor but he was in great spirits and never quit! By the end of it he was falling way less and was more stable. His friend Camille is in a more advanced group at the same time.

Bollito!!

Tue, 06 Sep 2016 12:38:02 -0400

Eliana eating her first Venezuelan boiled arepa dough (aka Bollito) with butter and scrambled egg. She loved it. Her Mommy was happier than her though.

PS: Pictures and video taken by big brother.

Grade 1

Tue, 06 Sep 2016 09:07:20 -0400

The whole family went to take Aidan to his first day at school. He was confident and excited. His teacher (Ms Truong) was very nice. The only one that wanted to cry was Mommy.

Venezuelan summer camp

Sun, 04 Sep 2016 14:14:27 -0400

Mommy's dearest friends came to visit Toronto the last two weeks of August. Aidan and Eliana enjoyed very much their company and love, as well as doing things venezuelan style. Aidan had a blast with the kids, biking, playing at the park and visiting the beaches and other touristic attractions: Aquarium, Centreville at the islands, CN Tower, Canada's Wonderland and High Park. He had fun speaking Spanish and even learned some songs with the girls! We will miss them so much and hope we can get together again real soon.

Crawling!

Wed, 31 Aug 2016 11:39:27 -0400

Eliana has been practicing the skills required for crawling recently, so we knew it would happen sometime soon. This week she managed to cover some distance to get Mommy's phone!

Family ball game

Sat, 13 Aug 2016 16:35:40 -0400

First family outing to see the Blue Jays play the Houston Astros. Eliana and Mommy didn't see much of it, as El needed to nap, so toured the concourse in the stroller for most of the game, but they did manage to stick around long enough for the family photo! The Blue Jays won 4-2, continuing Aidan's streak of being good luck for the Jays.

Baseball fever

Sun, 07 Aug 2016 08:13:18 -0400

With the summer comes baseball and Aidan is again very into it! He follows not only Blue Jays but all the teams, watches daily highlights of all the games and is enjoying very much going to the stadium with daddy and soon with the whole family. He's drawings are a testimony of his passion, also including other sports and flags :)

Last Day of School

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 19:09:55 -0400

Wednesday was Aidan's last day of senior kindergarten (and pyjama day, as well), and he'll be off to grade one in the fall! It seems like only yesterday he was heading off to junior kindergarten for the first time. Two years later, he's a real pro!

First solids

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 19:05:36 -0400

Eliana started to eat baby cereals last week. So far she's tried brown rice, barley and oatmeal and she loves them! She's eating all her brunch and the mess is not too bad. We'll be trying veggies, fruit, dairy and meat soon!

Eliana's first tooth

Sun, 26 Jun 2016 14:13:32 -0400

She's been working on this one for a while, and now it's finally ready for the blog!

Reading together

Mon, 06 Jun 2016 12:31:38 -0400

Rolly Polly

Sun, 24 Apr 2016 20:56:24 -0400

With Eliana the joy is double: for her reaching milestones and for how cool it is seeing Aidan as excited as we were when he reached his.

Playing dress up

Sun, 24 Apr 2016 14:27:34 -0400

Aidan and Eliana are having a blast! So cool!!

Keeping his sister entertained

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 11:26:45 -0400

Aidan came up with a modification on a silly song he learned at school, and was keeping Eliana entertained with it this weekend.

Chatty girl

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 10:27:00 -0400

Eliana is finding her voice. :)

Basketball star in the making

Fri, 18 Mar 2016 10:16:52 -0400

Further underscoring the crazy swings in weather we've seen this winter, here's what we did five days after our tobogganing trip: basketball. Aidan "has been dribbling for 3 years" he tells me, and he does seem to be pretty good! He won this game (played using a white painted square on the school wall as our "net") 100-16.

Surprise visit!

Thu, 17 Mar 2016 15:07:57 -0400

One of the many advantages of living close to school is that on any given day your son can show up at the door with all his friends and daycare teachers. So cute!!

PS: As part of March Break there was a dance party at Gerrard Square mall close to home and they were on their way back to school.

Tobogganing

Sun, 21 Feb 2016 21:46:11 -0500

It was something like 12 degrees here on Friday, but just a few days earlier, we had a tonne of snow come down. Since we really haven't had much of a winter yet (and certainly hardly any snow), we hadn't had a chance to head out tobogganing yet. I was off on vacation, so picked Aidan up early and we headed out to Riverdale Park East for some winter fun. Aidan was very brave and ended up going down the (fairly large) hill all by himself!

Best brother of 2016

Sat, 13 Feb 2016 22:42:27 -0500

This past Christmas Aidan asked Santa for a trophy but Santa couldn't deliver. Our friend Kelly found a perfect opportunity to satisfy his wish. And he totally deserves it!

Dancing star

Sun, 17 Jan 2016 22:41:49 -0500

Aidan has been learning a few dance routines in his music class and will perform some in the school spring concert. He gets very shy when we watch him so now he dances with his eyes closed.

Sister is here!!

Wed, 13 Jan 2016 17:06:15 -0500

Eliana Grace arrived 1 week early on January 6th at 9:35 pm at St. Michael's hospital. She weighted 3.334 kg and measured 50 cm.

We're thrilled to be a family of 4!

Little Reader

Wed, 10 Jun 2015 17:13:26 -0400

Mommy heard recently that Aidan should be able to read 50 words by the time he enters grade one. Doesn't look like that will be a problem.

Summer Gardening

Mon, 08 Jun 2015 22:57:40 -0400

With the warmer weather, we've been outside doing a little gardening. Aidan has been very keen to help, especially with our vegetable garden on the deck on the third floor. We've planted marigolds and put in the mini garden gnome from Grandma to keep away the squirrels and racoons.

Pedals? No Problem!

Mon, 08 Jun 2015 22:56:29 -0400

We visited Nana and Papa yesterday, and Papa took Aidan out for a spin on a real bicycle. He did really well and was excited to bring the bike home. Here's what happened the day after.

Balance Bike Pro

Thu, 04 Jun 2015 12:50:16 -0400

Claire loaned Aidan her old balance bike, and he's taken to it like a pro!

Big Baseball Fan

Thu, 04 Jun 2015 12:42:44 -0400

Aidan, Abuelo Sergio and Daddy went to the Blue Jays vs. Angels game on the Victoria Day Monday, and had a great time. It was Aidan's second baseball game, and he once again sat through all nine innings (he had his big bag of popcorn, which helped)! The Jays won 10-6, so there were lots of runs to see. Now Aidan wants to practice his hitting in the back yard, and loves to pretend he's a different Blue Jay in each at bat!

Aidan turned 4!

Mon, 15 Dec 2014 21:39:20 -0500

Aidan had a blast at his circus academy birthday party.

All set for Christmas

Sun, 07 Dec 2014 13:27:55 -0500

Reading a book

Thu, 13 Nov 2014 15:09:35 -0500

Wednesday is library day at school, and each of the kids gets to pick their own book to bring home to read. The latest book Aidan brought home is called "Camping" and he's shown a little more interest is this one. He's been doing a lot of letter-sound matching and letter identification recently, the combination of which has resulted in this video!

First Blue Jays Game

Sun, 14 Sep 2014 17:45:51 -0400

Aidan has been wanting to go to a Blue Jays game for quite some time, so this weekend we bought tickets to a game versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Aidan wanted to eat popcorn and pizza while watching the game, and he sat through all nine innings like a true fan! Saturdays at the Rogers Centre are Junior Jays Saturdays, and they set up various activities for kids, including letting them run the bases! Despite having watched the whole game (and missing his nap as a result), Aidan was still eager to get down onto the field. Aidan's take-aways from the game: Jose Bautista can hit the ball far, Anthony Gose wears #8, and Adam Lind has a crazy beard.

First day at JK!

Tue, 02 Sep 2014 10:59:35 -0400

Today was a very emotional and exciting day because Aidan went to school for his first day at JK with Mommy, Daddy and Abuelita Norka. He was nervous so we had to change plans to stay with him longer. The idea was to take him to daycare (before care runs in the school in the room next to his new JK room) at 8 so they would take him to his classroom at 8:45 so he could practice his new routine. But he was very nervous so Mommy and Abuelita stayed a while and Mommy took him to his classroom with the rest of the kids. We met two of his new teachers: Miss Yeats and Miss Parashos and they look super nice. The classroom also very nice as well as the group of his new friends. The group is combined JK and SK. Today was the first day only for SK and the JKs that go to the daycare in the school. Aidan has a hook with his name inside the classroom. Abuelita and Mommy prepared his backpack with school supplies (that he won't need), spare clothes and snacks. All the kids had a tag with their names. The first activity was to read books and once they sat down for that Mommy said one last goodbye and left happy because Aidan is going to have a very busy but super fun day! We can't wait to pick him up so we can hear ALL about it!!!

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful park

Wed, 20 Aug 2014 13:08:07 -0400

We explored a brand new park this past weekend. Aidan and I ride by it on the way to daycare everyday and he's been keen to check it out. He's dubbed it the "beautiful, beautiful, beautiful park".

Crazy hair

Mon, 07 Jul 2014 21:28:13 -0400

Aidan had a "Crazy hair day" at school last week, and wanted to do it at home as well. Something certainly got crazy!

Dundas Public School Fun Fair

Mon, 09 Jun 2014 15:35:39 -0400

This past Saturday, Dundas Public School (which Aidan will be attending in the fall) held its annual fun fair fundraising event. There were bouncy castles and slides, a firetruck and police car, food stalls, craft stations and lots of other fun things. We invited Aidan's friend Michelle and her mom along and had a fun time on a lovely day!

Written Aidan

Fri, 16 May 2014 22:07:33 -0400

Today we were decorating a box to move Aidan's things to the new house and out of nowhere Aidan wrote his name on the box. He missed the last A but we told him and he added it. His N was backwards but I explained and then he was doing it right. I was shocked. So proud.

Aidan knows how to spell his name and some of his school friends'. He also learned to spell "Superman" from a story we bought him.

Superman Revisited

Fri, 16 May 2014 21:59:03 -0400

Aidan's now got some official Superman pajamas and he's very excited about them.

Riding the "bike" is the best!

Wed, 14 May 2014 22:26:54 -0400

Aidan is enjoying so much his "bike" now that the weather finally allows it. These videos are from a few weeks back when it was a bit colder. These days as long as it doesn't rain Aidan goes and comes back from school on his bike. He loves it!

Swimming by himself

Wed, 14 May 2014 22:18:21 -0400

A few weeks back Aidan and Mommy had a play date with Michelle and Ana. Aidan was perfectly ok with getting in the pool by himself with Michelle and going in and out a thousand times.

Jump!

Wed, 14 May 2014 22:08:30 -0400

Sunday we went to a birthday in an indoor trampoline park. Aidan had a blast!

Superman!

Wed, 30 Apr 2014 12:46:31 -0400

Revisiting \"New Park\"

Mon, 21 Apr 2014 14:28:56 -0400

Aidan and Daddy took a trip to the park formerly known as "New Park" to play and chase some pigeons on Good Friday. We've since discovered another park close to home, so this park is now "Old Park". He still enjoys running around here, though!

Dancing machine

Fri, 21 Mar 2014 16:06:23 -0400

A couple of quick videos of Aidan dancing/jumping/singing to his new favourite song: "Out of My League" by Fitz & The Tantrums.

Learning his letters

Fri, 28 Feb 2014 16:36:18 -0500

Aidan has started asking a lot about how to write certain letters, and surprised us this morning by spontaneously drawing an "A". I think he's been practicing at school!

Visiting Claire

Sun, 05 Jan 2014 18:16:39 -0500

Finally we convinced Aidan to go visit Claire. He always wants her to come over because he's afraid of her cat Ebony but today we managed to convince him. They had so much fun!!

First attempt at ice skating

Sun, 05 Jan 2014 11:00:48 -0500

Last weekend we went to Canadian Tire and got ice skates for the whole family. On our way back we went to a little ice rink in Ryerson University, very close to home, and Daddy practiced a little bit with Aidan. It was hard, especially for the back! Mommy didn't even put the skates on so I could record the experience. As soon as the weather is good we will try again!

Holiday Performance

Tue, 17 Dec 2013 20:14:49 -0500

Aidan had his first Holiday performance at school. Even though with some effort he managed to keep it together and not cry, the stage fright didn't let him sing. We know he knows the songs because he sang them at home A LOT!

Fun in the snow

Mon, 16 Dec 2013 22:30:16 -0500

We've had a few days of snow here, and it's a real winter wonderland outside. Daddy and Aidan went outside to play in the snow on the morning of his birthday while Mommy stayed home to put the finishing touches on his cake. Aidan loves the snow!

Aidan turned 3!

Sun, 15 Dec 2013 19:51:16 -0500

Our little bundle of joy is not a baby anymore. He's a crazy boy that runs, jumps, talks like a parrot in English and even a bit in Spanish, asks all sort of amazing things and learns so much every day. This year we celebrated his 3rd birthday with good friends and his uncle Rhodri in a fireman themed party. We had his usual friends, a couple of friends from his old daycare and a friend from the new daycare. Mommy made a fire truck cake and Aidan helped with the gum drop lights. We had a blast and we celebrated big time the joy of these 3 years of having Aidan in our lives. Happy birthday pollito!!

Ho Ho Ho

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 23:30:02 -0500

Mommy and Aidan celebrating the arrival of Christmas season

Caribbean Cruise

Sun, 17 Nov 2013 21:10:20 -0500

After long anticipation, Aidan enjoyed very much his first trip in a Caribbean cruise, in the company of Abuelita Norka, Maribel (friend of abuelita) and some of Mami's best friends from university. It was so nice to share and at the same time have many new experiences and know new places. The whole family wants to repeat the experience!

Sleeping over breakfast

Sun, 22 Sep 2013 14:26:55 -0400

One of the little rituals of our family is to have breakfast together before going to school and to work. Aidan provides plenty of entertainment with his craziness!

First dentist visit

Sun, 22 Sep 2013 14:17:53 -0400

This weekend was Aidan's first visit to the dentist and it was a total success! First he kept Mommy company while she was getting her cleaning. When it was his turn, he was very brave and followed all the instructions. As a prize, Dr. Yeow gave him some little toys and a Woody tooth brush. Aidan has 20 teeth and they are all in great shape!

First day at the new daycare

Mon, 09 Sep 2013 11:02:55 -0400

Today was Aidan's first day at his new daycare. He was pretty happy about the whole thing, and we got through drop off without any fuss! At pickup time he looked totally comfortable and happy and the teacher said he did amazing. Mommy & Daddy are so proud and relieved!

Up the wall

Sat, 31 Aug 2013 15:41:03 -0400

Aidan made it up the climbing wall all by himself for this first time this morning.

Salon haircut

Wed, 21 Aug 2013 18:11:00 -0400

After the hair cutting service that normally comes to daycare cancelled at the last minute, Mommy, Daddy and Abuelita had to scramble to get someone to address the helmet that Aidan had been growing. Base on a recommendation from a friend, we checked out Melonhead, a salon specializing in kids haircuts. Aidan did pretty well once we convinced him to start, only getting upset when hair started getting in his face.

New Park

Wed, 21 Aug 2013 18:02:10 -0400

Aidan and Daddy took a trip on the bicycle to a park close to home that we'd never been to before. Aidan had a fun time driving to see "Abuita" (his version of "Grandma" in Spanish) and going up "his" stairs.

Aidan mad

Sat, 27 Jul 2013 15:19:41 -0400

Abuelo Sergio

Sat, 29 Jun 2013 22:35:11 -0400

A few weeks ago Abuelo Sergio visited with us for three weeks. Aidan was very good with Abuelo and both enjoyed a lot walking, playing and joking around together fighting for the sofa bed: it's MY bed! When we talk about going anywhere Aidan always asks if Abuelo is coming with us. We miss you Abuelo, we will reunite very soon.

Riding the bicycle with Daddy

Sat, 29 Jun 2013 21:58:34 -0400

When we bought the new tricycle we also bought this seat to be able to go on family cycling trips. But Aidan was so excited about his new tricycle that we could not convince him try it, even after Daddy worked so hard to install it. This weekend we finally convinced him and he had a lot of fun. We look forward to enjoying this new way of going around as a family this summer.

Aidan and Theresa

Sat, 29 Jun 2013 21:43:37 -0400

Aidan and Theresa have been together in daycare since infant room. Theresa's mother, Patricia, is Venezuelan and her dad Canadian, so they have a lot in common. The teachers say they are like brother and sister because they love and hate each other and are always either playing or fighting. Patricia took these pictures last week. Theresa begins a new daycare in July. We will miss her very much.

Building a tower

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 23:58:10 -0400

Daddy discovered Aidan putting his fine motor skills to work building a tower out of small wooden blocks.

Swimming solo

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 11:30:06 -0400

While visiting with our pre-natal class friends a couple of weeks ago, Mommy was finally able to convince Aidan to wear his cool shark flotation device. He was super excited to be swimming by himself! The "to infinity and beyond" Buzz Lightyear quote was completely unprompted.

Aidan has a tricycle!

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 09:47:25 -0400

Mommy and Daddy bought Aidan a tricycle and helmet this weekend after seeing how good he was getting riding at daycare. He loves it, and rode all the way home from the splash park later that day - about 1 km!

Just Hangin' Around

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:39:15 -0400

More fun (and a new skill!) from the Brickworks this past weekend.

At the beach

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:07:05 -0400

It's not warm enough to swim yet, but Aidan managed to have lots of fun playing with sand and throwing rocks into the lake.

Groovin'

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:03:36 -0400

Enjoying the musical entertainment at Evergreen Brickworks on a beautiful spring day.

Ready to be a man

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:55:04 -0400

Aidan seems to be ready to be a typical man: eating snacks and watching TV on his underwear.

Aidan has been using the potty regularly for about a week but still using diapers. Today we bought his first pairs of underwear: Toy Story, Sesame Street and Cars. We had some hits and misses. We cleaned pee from the floor a few times. But in general we're very happy and proud of our little man and his progress!

Aidan climbing

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 19:58:06 -0400

Aidan is turning into a park professional climbing and going down the slide by himself.

More fun at the park

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:04:46 -0400

It wasn't as warm as the sunny weather might lead you to believe, but Aidan didn't seem to mind!

We voted!

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:58:19 -0400

Aidan voted with Mommy this morning in his second Venezuelan presidential election. He was a very good boy helping mommy and he's confident this time results will be favourable and we will be able to enjoy a new Venezuela for everybody. Fingers crossed!!

Chopsticks

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:41:56 -0400

Mommy and Daddy were eating Thai food the other day with chopsticks and Aidan wanted to use the "spoons". Mommy remembered that we had a pair of training chopsticks, and Aidan took to them quite well!

Climbing and sliding

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 14:30:02 -0400

Mommy and Daddy took Aidan to the park yesterday and he had a great time on the slide, climbing up the few steps of the ladder all by himself!

Playing Baseball

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 14:04:09 -0400

Cousins Alex and Evan brought their ball gloves to Orlando with them, and after watching them play catch for a while, Aidan decided that he wanted to play baseball too.

Orlando Highlights

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 13:45:18 -0400

A selection of pictures from our vacation in Orlando.

Swimming in Orlando

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:24:54 -0400

This week we were on vacation in Orlando with Papa, Nana, uncle Eric and aunt Lidia, uncle Jason and aunt Tracy and the most popular members of the family: cousins Alex and Evan!
Aidan had a lot of fun sharing with the family, swimming in the pool and on our trips to Sea World and Bush Gardens.

Puzzling out his name

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 08:31:06 -0400

Not sure when it happened, but Aidan seems to have figured out his name puzzle quite well!

Trying on shoes

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:51:31 -0400

Aidan put on his hat backwards to "be funny" and then decided to try on Mommy's new shoes.

A nice day for a walk

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 20:52:12 -0500

It was a nice day out today, so after Aidan woke up from his marathon nap, we took a walk to meet Jen and Claire for dinner. Aidan decided that this structure in the pedestrian zone on Gould street looked like a fun place to stop and play for a bit.

Telling stories

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 10:45:53 -0500

Everything started with a shark, and the story kept evolving from there.

Cooking!

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:36:51 -0500

Aidan got a little oven and some pretend food from his friend Charlie this weekend - they've been a real hit!

Aidan's Valentine

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 12:04:45 -0500

Daddy cut out the heart, but the rest was all Aidan.

Tobogganing

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 00:17:35 -0500

We took a trip to Riverdale Park with Russ, Jen and Claire last weekend to take advantage of a massive dump of snow and introduce Aidan to "bogganing".

Practicing his ABCs

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 23:57:15 -0500

Aidan loves to sing the ABC song, but sometimes gets a little distracted.

Reading

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:46:27 +0000

Aidan was having lots of fun reading The Very Cranky Bear today!

Monster under the tree

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:15:46 +0000

Aidan's Uncle Eric visited a few weeks ago and watched a bit of Monsters, Inc with him. For Christmas, he and Aunt Lidia bought Aidan a stuffed Sully, which was a big hit!

Merry Christmas

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 17:40:00 +0000

This Christmas was the first one where Aidan was really aware what was going on, and he seemed to enjoy himself. He had fun "making a wreath", looking at the lights and decorations on the tree, creating decorations with Grandma, and of course, unwrapping his presents. He also got to join in on Daddy's Christmas Eve tradition of watching Mickey's Christmas Carol...and has watched it almost every day since!

Aidan Turned Two!

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 16:28:31 -0500

Aidan is still obsessed with animals from the farm, so Mommy and Daddy threw him a piggy-themed birthday, complete with a piggy cake and cupcakes that Mommy made. He and his friends had lots of fun running around the party room and playing with the tunnel!

At the beach

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 04:00:33 +0000

Mommy and Daddy took Aidan took Sugar Beach last weekend. He had a lot of fun playing in the fountains and never made it to the sand! The "always pack the swimsuit" rule was subsequently implemented.

Age of majority

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 02:41:00 +0000

Having reached the age of majority (in months, at least), Mommy and Daddy thought it was time to leave behind the baby-themed blog and graduate to one one suitable for big boys. This picture was taken on his eighteen month birthday in the playground Daddy and Aidan sometimes visit on their way home from school.

Hot new haircut

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:34:59 +0000

Aidan's "school" has a partner "Haircuts on Wheels" that goes every two months and cuts the kids hair for a fee, which is very convenient for us. Last time we couldn't tell if he got it because he looked exactly the same. Today it was haircut day and this time you can tell the difference for sure!

Arepa mmm

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 22:53:00 +0000

Continuing with the theme of Aidan eating, here we share a couple of videos of him enjoying his Arepas. Mommy enjoys watching him eating them with so much pleasure.

And now with the spoon

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 02:30:12 +0000

Aidan loves his oatmeal at breakfast. for the past few days he's eating it by himself with a spoon. Sometimes with the left hand, sometimes with the right.

Busy long weekend

Tue, 22 May 2012 03:34:04 +0000

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend by spending lots of time outside with Aidan. We went to a BBQ / pool party on Saturday. The water was too cold for swimming, but Aidan still had a good time exploring the back yard and interacting with people. Sunday we went to the park and had lunch on a patio on our way home. We bought Aidan some new clothes and a cool pair of sunglasses as well. That evening we had a BBQ play date with Russ and Claire on the rooftop. On Monday Aidan walked all the way to the grocery store, and we had another rooftop BBQ for dinner.

Fork expert

Mon, 14 May 2012 01:23:29 +0000

In the past weeks Aidan has gotten much better using the fork and he's eating less often with his hands. It also seems that he's more organized with the food and there is less mess to pick up after he's done.

Found a new park

Mon, 14 May 2012 01:22:41 +0000

Aidan and Daddy went out to buy Mommy's Mother's Day present yesterday, and afterwards were going to head over to a park near the AGO. Along the way we discovered a new park tucked in behind city hall, and decided to play there instead. Aidan had a lot of fun climbing into the little fort and going down the slide on his tummy, feet first of course!

Climbing trees

Mon, 14 May 2012 01:03:02 +0000

Last weekend we went to the park at Ryerson University close to home and there were a lot of kinds coming out of a dance recital. Aidan was very curious and wanted to interact with them and imitate them and that's how he made his first attempt to climb a tree.

Budding artist

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:17:00 +0000

Aidan has been doing lots of arts and crafts at daycare, especially since being moved to the toddler room, so Mommy and Daddy decided to set up space for him to pursue his artistic endeavours at home.

Pots!

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 03:24:18 +0000

Grandma has way more interesting and accessible pots than we have at home!

Seasoned traveller

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 03:19:49 +0000

Aidan and Daddy went to visit Grandma for her 60th birthday and had a lot of fun! Aidan really enjoyed walking around the boarding lounge (ours and a few others!) and pressing all the buttons at our seat. We got lucky with an empty seat next to us, so he was able to sleep the whole flight home and Daddy could eat in peace, and even watch a movie!

Happy birthday Tía Mariana!

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:38:47 +0000

Maybe next year Aidan knows the song and can sing it to you. Have a wonderful day! Love, Aidan, Mommy and Daddy

Tequeño yummy!

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:03:03 -0500

After taking Mommy to vote for the Venezuelan primary elections on February 12, the family went together to Arepa Café for tequeños and arepas. Aidan honoured his Venezuelan heritage by devouring his tequeño with a lot of pleasure. Tequeño yummy!

Helping with laundry

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:07:16 +0000

Aidan has long been fascinated by the washer and dryer, and now that he's taller and more stable on his feet, he likes to help out when we do laundry. He likes pressing all the buttons and turning the knob and seeing all the lights blink. Fortunately there's a child lock feature so he can press and turn to his heart's content and not disrupt things!

Beautiful Occupation

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:03:00 +0000

One of our joys is that Aidan shares our love for the band Travis. Thanks to Travis we can get Aidan dressed to go outside, calm him down during temper tantrums or just watch him enjoying the music and dancing. This video contains a collection of clips of Aidan watching Travis peform 'Beautiful Occupation', which is one of his favourite songs.

Walking around the farm

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:09:45 +0000

The family took a trip to Riverdale Farm this weekend so Aidan could see the animals. He enjoyed seeing the horse, sheep and chickens, and also enjoyed trying out his new walking skills outside for the first time!

The Masterpiece

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:44:57 +0000

When Mommy went out for dinner last week, Daddy and Aidan decided to make some art with markers. The results, at least those that ended up on the paper, were pretty good. Next time we'll use crayons though!

Celebrating with Romero

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:06:37 +0000

Last Sunday we were at a carnival party celebrating the 4th birthday of our neighbor Romero. We had a great time and Aidan was walking and playing around the party room. Romero sent us this pretty note reminding us of how nice it is to be together as a family sharing with our friends. On top of everything Aidan got a great loot bag with finger puppets, a big clown puppet and even a mini theater for them. We've been playing and enjoying them a lot!

Step by Step

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:11:04 +0000

Aidan has been standing up and taking few steps here and there for a while, but for the past three days he seems more interested in walking and is taking more and more steps at a time. When he falls, instead of crawling, he stands up again to keep walking. The only downside for now is the wipe outs when he wants to go faster than he can actually manage!

Playing with blocks

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:33:21 +0000

Mommy and Daddy gave Aidan a bag of Mega Bloks for Christmas and he took to them right away. He is now a master at building (and destroying!) Mega towers!

Helping around the house

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:08:53 +0000

Aidan is a very helpful boy around the house. He likes to put things away (though not always in the places he finds them) and he also likes to clean!

Christmas Angel

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:29:42 +0000

Aidan's class at daycare staged a little Christmas parade, with the kids dressing up and touring the other classes. We missed the parade itself, but Daddy got a special showing of Aidan's costume when he picked him up at the end of the day.

Missing videos

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:14:06 +0000

Here are a couple of videos that were missing on the last post.

No time for words

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:54:26 +0000

Aidan is always trying to repeat the words we say and he is pretty good at some words like "agua", "pancakes" or "banana" but snack time is not the best time to teach him because he is too busy eating to practice his vocabulary.

On the move

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 03:15:25 +0000

In the month of grandmas, Grandma Joanne came to visit from Edmonton and gave Aidan his early birthday present, which Grandpa Don and she picked a while ago. It was an instant match and Aidan displayed all his abilities right away. What a ride for him, but even more so for Mommy, Daddy and Grandma to see him walking for the first time assisted by his very first dump truck.

Thank you for coming to visit us Abuelita

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:17:00 +0000

Last Thursday Abuelita Norka left after visiting for 2 weeks. Aidan shared lots with her: they played, sang, we went to our play rooms, music circle, and to swim to the YMCA. We also went to Riverdale Farm and to Lily Shai's birthday party. Abuelita made new delicious meals for Aidan: veggie soups, ground beef with mashed butternut squash, and everything was a success. The best of all was to have Abuelita Norka's hugs, kisses and songs in person and that she could enjoy seeing Aidan and his new learnings and tricks first hand. We love you and will miss you a lot Abuelita!!! Thank you for coming. We will be together again very soon.

Halloween

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000

We kept it pretty simple for Aidan's first Halloween. Mommy bought him a cute skeleton outfit, and carved him a pumpkin, which he seemed to like. After a not-so-succesful attempt at face-painting the week before at Riverdale Farm, we opted not to try to make him look scary this year!

We also took him trick-or-treating to our neighbour upstairs, and she gave him a cute little stuffed pumpkin.

Aidan, concert pianist

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 01:11:49 +0000

Today we discovered Aidan's musical talents. Papa wanted to show him the piano and he turned out to be a professional touching keys, buttons, and moving to the beat of the songs!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:54:50 +0000

Aidan enjoyed his first Thanksgiving at Nana & Papa's. Lots of new things: re meet Molly, learn to go up and down the stairs, play the piano, and first fall colors ever...

Picnic

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 02:18:00 +0000

Today was so pretty that Aidan and I decided to go for a little picnic. The menu: banana, crackers, water and an occasional dry leaf from the grass...

Snoozing

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 01:14:30 +0000

I came home from the gym yesterday morning and saw that Aidan's door was open, but he wasn't there. Looks like he found a nicer place to snooze!

Aidan supports recycling

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:20:02 +0000

Aidan is a very environmentally conscious baby and decided to help us sort recycling. If only we knew we didn't need to spend any money on toys!

Playing at the park

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:28:34 +0000

Aidan went to the park this week and ate sand for the first time. We had a blast!

Reaching new heights

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:23:42 +0000

It's official, Aidan has decided the floor is not enough for him anymore and he wants to have a different view of the world. Who knows how many new interesting things can he discover 2' above the ground!

New skill

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 02:41:40 +0000

Mommy accidentally taught Aidan a new skill while trying to tell him not to lick the wheels of the stroller. He'll now do it (almost) on demand when we do, and has done it unprompted when getting him out of bed in the morning. It cracks us up!

Promoted to the grown-up tub

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 02:11:32 +0000

We've been bathing Aidan in his whale tub in his bathroom (the guest bathroom) for a while, but now that he's much more mobile and adventurous it's turning into a risky proposition. So, we decided that it was time to promote him to the grown-up tub in our bathroom. Tonight was his first time in the tub solo, and he seemed to have a lot of fun!

Clap Clap Clap!!

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:56:58 +0000

Aidan discovered that clapping with open hands makes more noise and it's more fun. The audience likes it better too!

Fun making a mess with food

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:05:45 +0000

Today for the first time we gave Aidan the chance to try finger foods by himself. It was a total mess but a lot of fun! Getting there!!

New sounds

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:06:01 +0000

I think this one speaks, in a manner of speaking, for itself. ;)

Aquaman, the beginning

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:57:35 +0000

Thanks to the heat wave that hit Toronto we had to start being more creative and thinking of new activities to entertain Aidan. That's how finally we decided to take him to the family swim time at the YMCA. Definitely Aidan enjoys the water in any possible form which makes Mommy and Daddy extremely happy...

Crawling!

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:43:50 +0000

Aidan has been working on the various skills required to get mobile recently, and today put them all together for the very first time. Turns out the baby monitor is a powerful motivator!

Happy 6 months!!

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:53:00 +0000

6 months! My goodness! It's impossible to write this post without a tear or two. Or many if it is me :) Aidan has been a total blessing for us and despite the challenges of being parents, and there have been plenty, we've had so much fun knowing him, seeing him grow and develop, learn and change every day. We are grateful that he is a healthy, happy and sweet baby, and dear to everybody... Happy 6 months my love!

Playing sitting up

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 19:16:41 +0000

Since we're back from Venezuela Aidan is much better keeping himself sitted and he likes to play in this position. Thanks to this new skill he can enjoy new toys like this cone stacker that our friends Daniel and Carola gave him in their visit to Toronto. However we have to be careful because sometimes he loses his equilibrium and falls to a side or to the back. The few times this has happened he seems to be ok with it and even finds it amusing!

Ready to eat?

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:03:08 +0000

Probably yes!

First friends ever

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 02:32:00 +0000

Today we went to a picnic to Queen’s Park with the very first friends of Aidan: Brayden and Mateo. The 3 of them met from the bellies in our prenatal classes, and so did us the moms: Caroline and Gabriella respectively. It’s been a lot of fun to share every stage of Aidan with Caro and Gabriella and see how the babies can be so different and yet so similar. It’s been also amazing to count with the support of these dedicated mothers during the difficult times. Today for the first time in all of our encounters the babies acknowledge each other and interacted. Maybe they thought the rest of them were toys to grab and chew on like everything else in their world?

All night

Tue, 31 May 2011 12:58:28 +0000

Last night Aidan slept through the night for the very first time - 11 hours! This follows one night of sleep training that we were stressed a bit about having to repeat, questioning whether we were doing things right. Fortunately Aidan took any decisions out of our hands when he decided to sleep so well! It's just one night, but we're cautiously optimistic that we're well on our way to good sleeps! Now mommy and daddy need to work on taking advantage of Aidan's sleep - we both woke up numerous times through the night wondering if he was ok, checking the time, wondering if he was ok again. We went to bed at 9 last night to prepare for another sleepless night - turns out we don't need nearly that much sleep to function these days!

Playing at Abuelita's

Wed, 11 May 2011 16:38:01 +0000

We've been in Venezuela for a week now, and Aidan has been doing great. He's met lots of his family and Mommy's friends, gone on a long car ride and has been to the beach. He's had a smile for everyone, and has only cried when hungry. He's very popular!

Me, me, me

Sun, 01 May 2011 01:22:00 +0000

After weeks of battling for Aidan to take the bottle with my milk, we finally made it and now he does it every time and with little or most of the times no fight at all. Now it’s even better because he doesn’t need anybody to give it to him, he takes him by himself! Daddy still assists him getting the right angle though...

The Circle of Confinement

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:21:17 +0000

A great hand-me-down gift from Claire, Aidan recently started using his exersaucer, or as Russ and Jen have dubbed it the "circle of confinement." He's still a little small for it, so we've got him jammed in there with a towel, but he loves it. Chewing on everything in reach is his current favourite activity, so this is lots of fun for him!

Chewing on everything

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:12:49 +0000

At about three-and-a-half months, Aidan started showing interest in chewing on everything, and started drooling a lot more than usual. One day when he was chewing on my finger, I discovered why: he had teeth! He's handled these early arrivals pretty well, with only a little extra fussiness.

Rubber ducky

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:43:00 +0000

It’s been a long time since Aidan had his first bath at the hospital while the nurse taught us how to do it. The first times were tough and he didn’t seem to like it. Especially when we had to re rinse him after putting too much baby shower gel in the tub. After noticing the tub was too big for him we had to give him baths in the kitchen sink for a while. Now he’s finally big enough (or should I say almost too big) to fit in his whale tub and he enjoys greatly EVERY single bath, just as much as we do.

Aidan has a song

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:14:00 +0000

This is an article that was pending for a looooong time ... sure grandma Norka will be a bit embarrassed but for us it was not only funny but sweet.

When we told my mom the name of his grandson Aidan, she exclaimed: “like the song!?” And we wondered what song so she sang her way in broken English: Aidan, Aidan ... instead of "Hey now, hey now ..."

Having fun at the Y

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 02:45:00 +0000

We’ve been going to the YMCA Family Development Center since Aidan was 8 weeks old. He was the youngest at the center and everybody was impressed I was alive enough to take him there so early. We could afford to go there since he’s been always so “decent” with sleep at night.

The center is a very welcoming and cozy space to share with other babies and toddlers, meet other moms, get tips, share experiences, and help him develop through fun activities.

Learning to fly

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:07:22 +0000

Aidan discovered this weekend that he likes to fly, and he's really good at it! He's got great control of his head, and his back is ramrod straight. It's dangerous business being part of the ground crew, however, as when his mouth opens and the smile comes, soon to follow is drool!

Trying out a toque

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:30:44 +0000

Grandpa Don bought Aidan a nice warm toque when he was born, but it was too big for his little head. Now that he's getting bigger, it fits a little better! There's still some room for growth, so hopefully he'll be able to wear it next winter. As you can see from the attempts to roll, this is definitely a high-performance toque!

Daddy makes me laugh

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 16:58:31 +0000

Tim and Aidan enjoy very much spending time together. Tim is so sweet and creative in the way he talks to him and entertains him while feeding him the bottle (which is challenging), changing his diaper (or giving him a fresh bum as he calls it) or just playing for fun or to give mommy some free time. Is a delight to watch them together...

Aidan's opinions

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:21:18 +0000

He has a lot to say!

Welcome spring!

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:47:19 +0000

Or maybe not yet?

Don't worry. We made it home after all and it seems Aidan enjoyed the little adventure :) Thank goodness for the new all terrain stroller!

Ready to read

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:43:24 +0000

This past Sunday we finally got the last piece for our reading set up: a nice bookcase that Daddy picked up from IKEA to hold all the books we have and some toys too. We’ve got tons of books!! Grandma Joanne brought us some when Aidan was born, and Grandma Norka did too but in Spanish, Auntie AK (that’s a bit redundant I guess, maybe we need to rename her GAK?) sent us some from Vancouver, and Aunt Susan sent us some from Hope, BC as well. All of them very special to us. Then Aidan and I registered at the Toronto Public Library close to home and we got tons of baby books including some in Spanish that they ordered specially for us. Aidan seems to enjoy them all as he listens to us and stares at the pictures. We don’t have a favourite yet. It’s hard to pick just one!

Let's roll!

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 00:18:00 +0000

Aidan's new friend

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 19:03:21 +0000

Daniela's friend Amy came by this week with her little boy Charlie, and they brought Aidan a new friend: a bunny puppet named, well, Bunny. Rabbits (both stuffed and real) were a big part of my childhood, so Bunny is an extra special gift. Aidan seems to like him a lot!

Happy birthday, Grandma!

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:41:00 +0000

I guess it will be a few years until we can explain to Aidan what a leap year is, and why once in a while we celebrate Grandma's birthday on a different day. One day, Aidan will think it's pretty cool that he's “older” than Grandma.

Happy birthday, Grandma! Happy birthday, Mom! Lots of love from all of us!

First girl friend

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:54:55 +0000

This week Aidan and I had a play date with Lily Shai and her mom Stacey (friends from the YMCA Family and Development Center, more about this on a separate blog post) We had a great time and they seemed to like each other, in their own way... Too cute!

Brave boy!

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:50:00 +0000

Last Thursday Aidan had his first official appointment with our family doctor and his first round of vaccinations . Two shots, one on each thigh. He was so brave! I had him on my breast, he screamed for a bit with each shot and then quickly calmed down and resumed feeding. In the afternoon he had a sudden weird crying episode and wouldn’t calm down with anything, but it was very brief. No fever...

Mommy's little bunny

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:08:20 +0000

Aidan's bunny bath towel was in rotation this week, and Daniela wanted a picture with her little bunny. All I had at hand was the iPhone, so I snapped this quick shot while I could. I was on my way to grab the "real" camera when I heard a familiar sound. Mommy's little bunny wasn't so cute anymore when we had to give him a second bath! The towel (and Daniela's clothes) went straight into the wash.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 03:44:00 +0000

We celebrated Valentine's day twice, yesterday prepared by Daddy and today by Mommy. Aidan helped both times to pick cards, chocolates and do groceries. He was also in both dinner parties! He doesn't want to miss any of the Love around...

The towel was a present from Aunt Susan and Uncle Alan. It keeps him warm and it's full of love!

Good morning, world!

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:20:00 +0000

Getting Aidan out of bed in the morning is one of my favourite things to do. He's always very happy to see Daddy, and puts on a very amusing wake-up / stretching routine. Just one of the many reasons that I'm not showing up at work very early these days!

Big boy outfit

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:51:59 +0000

He looks so serious and big!! Or maybe not? ;)

Gearing up for winter

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:46:19 +0000

It's been cold but Aidan still needs to go out everyday to fulfill all his social commitments. The winter suits finally fit enough to be able to go out and still look cute. Aidan doesn't love that he can't eat his hands when he just discovered them but he seems to find them very cozy.

Hands taste good

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:11:26 +0000

Aidan has found his hands, and spends lots of time exploring what they taste like. They taste better than Daddy's hands, which this morning tasted like baby wipes.

He's just perfect

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:12:00 +0000

The first time Mary (our midwife) came for a house visit, Aidan was only 4 days old and we (mainly me) were very worried because he hadn’t peed enough times during the day (babies are supposed to pee a specific number of times each of the first few days after birth, and that’s the way to know they are feeding well and are healthy) When she was weighing him, he peed all over her scale. She kept saying: He’s just perfect!! We were so relieved and happy to know our little baby was fine and thriving. We will never forget that day.

Expressions

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:24:08 +0000

Here are a few shots of some of Aidan's favourite expressions. He's managed to come up with a wide variety of them in six short weeks!

Foot fetish

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:56:00 +0000

This one's for the grandmas. Hope they're cute and chubby enough! (The feet, not the grandmas).

Getting fed by Dad

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:50:56 +0000

This weekend we tested the pump for the first time, and tried Aidan out on a bottle. He took to it right away (it might have helped that we think he's going through a growth spurt and was pretty hungry!), and didn't fuss at all. The best part was that Dad was able to feed Aidan - it felt great. The worst part was when he finished four-and-a-half ounces in five minutes and was still hungry!

I like to look at things

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:06:42 +0000

Aidan is getting better at focusing on things, and can now follow movement with his eyes. He likes the elephants in his playpen a lot!

Riding the TTC

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:54:26 +0000

Yesterday we rode the subway for the first time. When Abuelita Norka was still here we went to Arepa Café on the streetcar. Is good to practice when daddy is with us because it’s way harder than it seems when you have a stroller!

The best thing about this trip is that we now have a doctor for Aidan (our family doctor) and he has an appointment in 3 weeks to get his first vaccines. One down on the to-do list!

Smiley boy

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 01:43:01 +0000

Aidan has been working on his smile for a while now, but he's never held one for more than a couple of seconds at a time. Tonight while hanging out with mom, he smiled for a good 15-20 seconds! This picture is all we managed to snap before the smile disappeared, and certainly doesn't do it justice.

Happy one month birthday!

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:25:36 +0000

Today is Aidan's one month birthday, and he's celebrating by working on some arm-leg coordination in his playpen. We're celebrating by cleaning the kitchen. :P

Today also marks the first day that we're alone as a new family as Abuelita Norka flew back to Caracas last night.

It's also Papa's (not mine, Grandpa Ceri's) birthday today. Happy birthday, Papa!

A true winter outing

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 21:12:29 +0000

Finally we had a proper snow fall and we went out with Aidan to get some fresh air and test the stroller in adverse conditions. We survived but with Tim driving :)

Cool Present

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:59:00 +0000

On our most recent volleyball night out, Jenn assigned us all American Gladiator nicknames. Aidan, not yet born at the time, got one too: LEGO.

She then managed to track down this awesome present to give to him.

He's Official

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:18:45 +0000

He's Growing!

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:21:35 +0000

The numbers are in, and Aidan is a growing little boy!

58.5 cm long (53.5 at birth)
38.5 cm head circumference (36 at birth)
4.04 kg (3.54 at birth)

No crying during bathtime!

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 02:38:23 +0000

Not sure if our technique or timing should get the credit, but tonight was Aidan's first bath with no crying. Not expecting a milestone bath (and because it's still a two-person job at this point), there are no pictures of it in progress, but here are a couple of the after shots.

It's an innie!

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:28:00 +0000

Aidan's umbilical cord fell off today! He's now just like the rest of us, only smaller. (Don't click to see the second picture if you don't like dried up pieces of human flesh. Daniela made me take the picture!).

Merry Christmas!

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 00:31:00 +0000

He waited for the Grandmas

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 21:53:00 +0000

This one's a little bit out of order, but I'm just now getting to look at some of the first photos I've taken. Aidan's due date was December 5th, but he wasn't ready to come out yet. He arrived a week later: the day after Daniela's mom arrived, and the day before my mom. Both Grandmas and Uncle Rhodri got to visit him in the hospital the very next day.

Nana and Papa's visit

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 04:35:56 +0000

Today Nana and Papa came to meet Aidan and shower him with some cool new threads. Impressed as he was, he showed his enthusiasm in his typical manner by sleeping the whole time!

Going for a walk

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:41:11 +0000

We had an appointment this morning and decided to take the opportunity to make the first family excursion outside the house. We had a great walk, and Daniela and I enjoyed being able to be outside on such a glorious day. Aidan cared somewhat less than us and slept the whole time. :)

First time dressed up

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:51:00 +0000

My grandma Norka was concerned about me going out in the cold so I had to bundle up. I still managed to go outside in "bear" feet though!

Welcome, Aidan Alejandro

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:09:30 +0000

Aidan Alejandro was born on December 15th at 11:38 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs, 13 oz (3.5 kg) and measuring 21 inches (53.5 cm) long. There was a little excitement surrounding his birth, and Daniela ended up having to deliver via an unexpected Caesarean, but both mom and baby came through with flying colours. If all goes well, we should be able to take Aidan home on Saturday - we're both very excited to show him his room!